[For Seniors] Spring Songs You'll Want to Hum: Feel the Season with Nostalgic Classics

On the Day of DepartureSakushi: Kojima Noboru / Sakkyoku: Sakamoto Hiromi

[Chorus Song] On the Day of Departure / With Lyrics / Singing Practice / Graduation Song #chorus #classchorus #graduationsong #choruscontest

There is a song that many older adults love, often associated with the arrival of spring and graduation season.

Originally created at a junior high school in Saitama Prefecture as a gift to graduating students, it has since become a standard performed at schools across Japan.

With hopeful lyrics and a bright melody, it conveys courage and determination for a new beginning.

It also gained attention when it was used in a commercial featuring SMAP.

It’s a wonderful song that lets you look back on nostalgic memories while feeling hopeful about the future.

Why not listen to it together with older adults as an opportunity to reflect on life’s milestones?

Sakura, sakura

~Sakura Sakura~ NHK Tokyo Children’s Choir

Cherry blossoms are a flower so captivating that many people from overseas plan trips to Japan to coincide with the blooming season, and they are regarded as a symbol of the country.

The song “Sakura Sakura,” a representative cherry blossom song that is often used as an image song evocative of Japan, has an unknown composer but was published in 1888 as a koto practice piece.

The music seems to pack in images of Japan’s breathtaking scenery—beauty and elegance—and it is frequently heard in various settings.

It is widely recognized, including among older generations, and is a versatile piece that can be used in many recreational activities.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

utatane

Report a problem

The Hill Where Mandarin Orange Blossoms BloomSakushi: Katō Shōgo / Sakkyoku: Kainuma Minoru

The Hill Where Mandarin Orange Blossoms Bloom – Shoko Haida

When we think of mikan (mandarin oranges), many of us associate them with autumn and winter, but that’s the season for harvesting the fruit; the blossoms actually bloom around May.

At that time of year, small white flowers spread across the mikan orchards.

The harmony of the white blossoms and green leaves creates a beautiful scene that lifts your spirits.

This piece gently looks back on such scenes of mikan blossoms and the memories tied to them.

With depictions of the sea visible beyond the orchards and ships running across it, the music powerfully conveys a sense of wide-open vistas and the beauty of a grand landscape.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

kappamaki

Report a problem

koinobori (carp streamers)Monbushō shōka

Koinobori | With Lyrics | Waves of roof tiles and waves of clouds

Beloved as a Ministry of Education shoka (school song), this piece gracefully expresses both the grandeur of the carp streamers displayed for the Boys’ Festival (Tango no Sekku) and the wish for children’s happy growth.

Included in the 1913 publication “Jinjō Shōgaku Shōka, Grade Five,” the song, set in F major, harmonizes a powerful melody with a refined sense of the season.

It continues to be cherished and sung by contemporary musicians, including arrangements by Kiyoe Yoshioka.

Its cheerful atmosphere and warm, seasonable tone make it perfect for older adults who want to enjoy a pleasant springtime moment.

It can also be a cue to hum along with grandchildren or to fondly recall days gone by.

Summer has comeSakushi: Sasaki Nobutsuna / Sakkyoku: Koyama Sakunosuke

Summer Has Come (Children's Song)

May, as the season draws nearer to summer, is a time when animals and plants become more lively, isn’t it? This children’s song—selected among Japan’s 100 notable songs—strings together symbols of early summer.

By noticing seasonal flowers and creatures in everyday life, you can feel summer gradually approaching.

With many elements that evoke the early-summer atmosphere, the scenery comes vividly to mind.

The historically flavored expressions are also striking, powerfully conveying the vigor of the landscape.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

kappamaki

Report a problem

A Gift Without a StampSakushi • Sakkyoku: Zaizu Kazuo

A Gift Without a Stamp – Kazuo Zaitsu | ♪ From me to you, let me send this song | cover by akiurara | Vocals, Chorus, Performance DTM/DAW | With Lyrics | Kitte no nai Okurimono

A love for one’s mother that wells up precisely because we’re now adults.

This is a song packed tight with feelings for that one irreplaceable person in the world.

The lyrics, which turn the feeling of “I love you” into a song and deliver it, are sung over a very gentle melody.

Kazuo Zaitsu of Tulip—known for their signature song “Seishun no Kage”—wrote the lyrics and composed the music.

The piece was first presented in 1977 on “Uta wa Tomodachi,” and it was broadcast on “Minna no Uta” in 1978.

It has been remade several times since the initial broadcast, so the version you know may differ depending on the era.

It’s perfect for expressing everyday gratitude.

Humming it together with seniors on Mother’s Day would likely make them happy.

Many people might even find tears welling up, almost mysteriously.

A Hazy Moonlit Night

Ministry of Education Song: Oborozukiyo (Hazy Moonlit Night)

Many songs about spring depict scenes during the daytime, don’t they? But in fact, there’s also a famous piece themed around a spring night: “Oborozukiyo.” To begin with, “oborozukiyo” is a seasonal word for spring, referring to the sight of a moon veiled in mist.

In the song, that mysteriously beautiful scene is described in fine detail.

Together with the high-pitched choral parts, the piece as a whole carries a mystical atmosphere.

When singing it with a group, dividing into parts or lowering the key can make it easier to sing.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

yamamoto

Report a problem